Shadow of the Tomb Raider: A Complete Record of the History of Tomb Raiders in China

Chapter 34 The third wave of tomb robbery: the trend of tomb robbery in the Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (3)
Empress Changsun and Li Shimin are very affectionate.She also pays great attention to her own image.When she was unfortunately ill and dying, she said: "A concubine's life is of no benefit to others and should not be killed to harm others. I hope that you will not waste the world with hills and ridges..." After her death, Tang Taizong Li Shimin issued an edict to the world: "The empress is thrifty, The last words are buried in thin air." He ordered craftsmen to build the Zhaoling Mausoleum.In front of all the officials, he told the courtiers in charge of the construction of Zhaoling that the scale of Zhaoling "is enough to accommodate a coffin, and we must be frugal." The rest of them will finish in dozens of days."

Literally, the construction of Zhaoling was not extravagant, and the scale of Zhaoling is not large.However, Li Shimin here is just playing hide-and-seek with the descendants, to be precise, with the tomb robbers.He's setting off a smokescreen of his own accord.

In order to make people in the world believe in his idea of ​​thin burial, he issued an edict to the world in the second year after the empress Changsun was buried, that is, in the spring of the 11th year of Zhenguan (637 AD): birth is the great virtue and kindness of heaven and earth, and longevity is or A long or short term.There is no difference in the human beings who are born with a body of seven feet, whose lifespan is limited to a hundred years, who contain spirituality and are endowed with the energy of heaven and earth.Both life and longevity are obtained from nature, and cannot be extravagantly pursued.Therefore, the "Book of Rites" says: The coffin is made when the monarch ascends the throne.Zhuang Zhou said: The body makes me tired, and death makes me rest.Isn't this the foresight of a sage, the deep knowledge of a sage who understands great things? ... The world is stable, this is my usual ambition, and now it has been realized.But I am still afraid that in the days after death, my children and grandchildren will get used to the popular customs and still follow the usual etiquette, adding a four-story coffin, cutting down a century-old giant tree, harassing the people, and increasing the height of the cemetery.Now, I have written this decree in advance, the funeral must follow the principle of frugality, the cemetery is in Jiuyi Mountain, and the underground palace is only big enough to accommodate the coffin.Years of accumulation, gradually ready.The burial has wooden horses and clay carts, tile drums, and flutes cut from reeds. This is in line with ancient regulations...

... From now on, if the close relatives of meritorious officials and those whose virtues and careers are helpful to the present, if they pass away, they should be given a cemetery and a coffin to use, so that the burial can be completed.The relevant competent authorities are making preparations in this way, which is in line with my wishes.

These seemingly convincing words are actually hypocrisy.When the tomb robbers got into the underground palace of Empress Changsun and Li Shimin himself in Jiuyi Mountain, later generations knew the secrets that Li Shimin dared not disclose at the beginning, as well as the outrageous lies he spread and let the historians publish the text handed down to the world.

Zhaoling is the burial place of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin and Empress Changsun.Zhaoling Mausoleum is located on Jiuyi Mountain, more than 20 kilometers northeast of Liquan County, Shaanxi Province, and 19 kilometers northeast of Zhenling Mausoleum.Jiuyi Mountain is 1188 meters above sea level, towering alone, majestic, with verdant trees and beautiful scenery. It is the most representative mountain in the Weibei mountain system.The Zhaoling Mausoleum is located on the mountain, with a land area of ​​120 miles and a total area of ​​30 mu. It is the largest among the Eighteen Tombs in Guanzhong.The cemetery was first built in 636 and was designed by the famous architect Yan Lide.At that time, Zhaoling Mausoleum had magnificent ground buildings and underground palaces, the tall Suzaku Gate, the majestic dedication hall and the solemn altar, which constituted the main body of the ground buildings.

According to historical records, the Zhaoling Xuan Palace was built at the southern foot of the mountainside and was carved out.When it was first built, due to the steep mountain in front of the Xuan Palace, it was inconvenient to travel, so a plank road was built along the side of the mountain. The plank road was 400 meters long, or 230 steps. Empress Wende was buried in Xuan Palace first, and the plank road was not demolished. Houses were built on it for the palace people to live in, and the queen was treated like a living person. After Taizong's burial, the plank road was demolished to isolate the mausoleum from the outside world.Xuangong is 75 feet deep, with five stone gates. The middle is the main bedroom, which is the place where the coffin is parked. Stone beds are arranged on the east and west sides.The stone box on the bed contains the funerary objects.The passage from the tomb to the entrance of the tomb is built with 3000 yuan of large stones. Each stone weighs two tons, and the stones are riveted to each other.According to the "Old History of the Five Dynasties Wen Tao Biography", "The palace system is magnificent, not different from the world", and a gorgeous palace was built outside the mausoleum.Du Fu said in the poem "Chongjing Zhaoling": "The mourning bed is empty, and the bear (pí) guards the Cuiwei. Looking at the Songbai Road, you can see five clouds flying." In the south of the main peak, Digong Mountain, is the main gate of the inner city Zhuque Gate, there is a dedicated hall inside the Zhuque Gate, which is a place for worship and sacrifice. It is very close to the gate. The entire site is about ten meters square. The site about 20 meters to the south of Jiamen Que is still a small site .A remnant owl tail was unearthed here. After restoration, it is 1.5 meters high, 0.6 meters wide, and 11 meters long. Based on the height of this piece, it is estimated that the roof ridge of the dedication hall should be more than 10 meters high, and it should be a double eaves. Nine rooms can be in proportion.There are about 5 meters between the gates and the gates, just in the middle of the dedication hall.From this we can infer how tall this palace is.The site 20 meters south of the dedicated hall is a deep horizontal ditch, which proves that there can be no other stone carvings or other buildings here.Jiuyi Mountain is made of limestone, which has been eroded by high-altitude wind and rain for a long time, and washed away by mountain torrents. Not only the buildings on the mountain have disappeared, but even the original shape of the mountain has changed a lot.However, traces left over from the structure of the mausoleum can still be discerned: the shape of the mountain is saddle-shaped (commonly known as Bijia Mountain in the local area), and the rock formations on both sides of the mountain in the south protrude in the shape of a dustpan; construction related.

On the north side of the main peak Digong Mountain is the Xuanwu Gate, the north gate of the inner city. There is an altar, which is close to the northern foot of Jiuyi Mountain. It is high in the south and low in the north. It is composed of five steps. It is trapezoidal, with sleeping halls on the south three terraces, east and west verandahs, towers and gates, and the Longwei Road in the middle leading to the sleeping hall, which is a unique architectural complex in Zhaoling.Inside the Sima Gate, there are stone statues of the heads of the fourteen kingdoms.These stone statues were erected in the early years of Emperor Gaozong, reflecting the grand unity of all nationalities in the country during the Zhenguan period, Tang's expansion of the Western Regions, and the grand occasion of relations with neighboring countries.These stone statues have been destroyed in the early years, and there are seven inscribed statue seats, several body parts and several head pieces that can be seen today.

At the beginning of the 20th century, most of the ground buildings in the cemetery of the mausoleum area had collapsed. The gates and halls of Zhuquemen at the foot of the mountain to the south, and the wall bases of the Xuanwu gate and the sacrificial altar to the north of the mountain can still be seen.

The Six Juns were stolen and cracked

If Zhaoling Mausoleum is compared to a beautiful crown, then the relief of the Six Steeds of Zhaoling Mausoleum is the most dazzling gem on it.These reliefs were originally placed in the east and west sides of the Xuanwu Gate, which is different from the general layout of stone men and stone horses in Chen Xiangyin's tombs of some emperors in the past; this was erected by Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty to commemorate his martial arts in the founding of the country.The Six Horses of Zhaoling are the six steeds that Emperor Taizong Li Shimin rode when he created the great Tang empire. They all sacrificed their lives with Li Shimin on the battlefield where Li Shimin galloped to level the heroes.Their names are Saluzi, Quanmaogu (guā), White-hoofed Crow, Tellerpiu, Qingzhui (zhuī) and Shivachi.According to legend, the shapes of the six steeds were created by Yan Liben, a famous painter in the Tang Dynasty. A skilled craftsman carved a horse on the bluestone screen one by one according to the graphics, and carved a horse on each stone screen.The stone screen is about 2 meter high and nearly [-] meters wide. There is a four-character hymn inscribed by Tang Taizong himself in the upper left or upper right corner. It was written by Ouyang Xun, a great calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty. However, the handwriting is now unrecognizable.

In Bai Juyi's poem, Zeng said: "The purpose of Taiyuan is to revitalize the king's business, and the king's business is hard to tell his descendants." In order to warn his descendants of the hardships of starting a business, and at the same time remember the six horses that depended on him, Li Shimin lived in the tenth year of Zhenguan (AD 636). ) ordered the painter Yan Liben to engrave the name of the magazine as the real shape and put it on the left and right of the horses and horses I ride to help me in trouble. Yan Liben first drew the image of "Six Horses", and then the craftsman Yan Lide carved it on the stone screen On it, it is placed in the altar at the northern foot of Zhaoling Mausoleum.Tang Taizong also named each war horse and wrote poems, describing their military exploits and demeanor.It is said that Tang Taizong also ordered the great calligrapher Ouyang Xun to write the name of each war horse and imperial eulogy on paper, and asked craftsmen to engrave it on stone carvings.Although there is a one-foot-square blank space for chiseling on each stone carving, but now there is no word that can be seen. More than 1000 years of wind, sun, rain and frost have eroded the limestone carvings cannot be underestimated.

The "Six Horses of Zhaoling" are carved in high relief. With simple lines and accurate shapes, they vividly show the posture and character of the horses and the scene of galloping on the battlefield with arrows on their bodies.The profiles of the people and horses are like chiseling into the boulder to a depth of 15 centimeters.Due to the age, it is impossible to discern whether there are patterns on the flat background.The stone carvings are surrounded by raised high sides.The pattern of auspicious clouds and flowers on the surface of the edge guard and the side of the stone carving is still faintly discernible. Each picture of "Six Horses of Zhaoling Mausoleum" tells people a thrilling historical story. "Zhaoling Six Horses" is a treasure of ancient Chinese sculpture art and a rare treasure of Chinese cultural relics. It was praised by Mr. Lu Xun as "it is unprecedented".

It is known from the literature that the one ranked first on the east side is "Telebiu", which may have been offered by a descendant of the Turkic Khan. "Telepiu" is a war horse with yellow and white fur.Li Shimin rode this horse to fight against Song Jingang in 619 AD. According to historical records: In the early Tang Dynasty, the world was not settled, Song Jingang was trapped in Huizhou (in today's Shanxi), and the soldiers were very sharp. "Special Qin Huo" carried Li Shimin in this battle He rushed into the enemy's line bravely, fought dozens of rounds all day and night, fought eight tough battles in a row, and established his achievements.Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty praised it as: "The policy should be taken to the sky, and the voice of the half-Han should be inherited; the natural danger will destroy the enemy, and the danger will be used to help the difficult." It was taken by Li Shimin when he pacified Song Jingang. "White Hoofed Crow" is a pure black war horse with four white hooves, which is Li Shimin's mount when he fights with Xue Rengao.According to the "Six Horses Picture Praise" of Emperor Taizong Zhaoling's "Six Horses" recorded in "Quan Tang Wen" (Volume 618), Jun and "Baihowu" were between September and November of the first year of Wude (AD [-]). Li Shimin and Xue Rengao ( The mount of Xue Ju's son) when he fought in Qianshuiyuan (now northeast of Changwu County, Shaanxi Province), was listed at the end of the three horses on the west side of the altar (arranged from south to north).The unstoppable shape of the modified horse reproduces the fearless and invincible spirit of the horse during the battle in Qianshuiyuan (now Changwu County, Shaanxi Province). "Sa Lu Zi" is the only war horse among the six stone carvings that is also engraved with images of characters. The artists firmly grasped the arrow shot in the horse's chest. It shows a brutal and intense war scene. "Qing Zou" and "Shi Fachi" were both mounted by Li Shimin and Dou Jiande's forces in the battle at Wulaoguan. The two horses each shot five arrows, and both were lost in one battle. "Fist Hair" was the horse used by Li Shimin when he led his troops to pacify Liu Heitai. The horse was killed by nine arrows, which fully demonstrated the hardships of Li Shimin's years of fighting and bloody battles.

Among the stone carvings of six horses, Li Shimin's praise for it is: "The moon is pressed against the bridle, and the sky is running wildly. The arrow contains the jí (jí), and the atmosphere is clear." Compare it to a magical horse.Du Fu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, also mentioned "fist hair 騧" in his poems. In the poem, he said: "in the past Taizong fist hair 騧, now the Guo family lion flower." A steed dedicated to Daizong Li Yu, the horse's body hair is curly like fish scales, and there are nine patterns on the whole body, so it is also called "Nine Flowers Qiu".Emperor Daizong of Tang Dynasty bestowed this horse on Guo Ziyi, king of Fenyang.The poet mentions "Fist Hairy" and "Nine Flower Qiu" together, which shows that there are many similarities between the two.

According to the traditional etiquette of "right is up, left is down" in ancient China, the west side (that is, the right side) of the Zhaoling altar is up, and the first is "Saluzi" for whom Qiu Xinggong drew the arrow, "Fist". "Mao 騧" ranks second, and below it is "White Hoofed Crow"; on the east side of the altar (that is, on the left side) are "Telepiu", "Qing Zou" and "Shivachi".

Probably due to Liujun's fighting experience, coupled with the charm of stone carving art, this group of reliefs is full of magical colors in folklore.It is said that during the Anshi Rebellion, Tang Jun and An Lushan's general Cui Qianyou fought in Tongguan.During the battle, a group of White Banner troops of the rebel army charged bravely and attacked fiercely. The Tang army was unable to parry for a while and was about to be defeated.Suddenly the yellow flag was unfurled, and a group of people rushed out from nowhere and charged towards the white flag army.After two rounds of fierce fighting, the Yellow Banner Army killed the corpses of the bandits and soldiers, and the blood flowed like a river. However, because they were outnumbered, they were surrounded by the White Banner Army at the core, and it was difficult to break through.At this critical moment, suddenly cloudy clouds rose up, the wind blew up, flying sand and rocks flew, and the Yellow Banner Army disappeared in a blink of an eye. The rebels were stunned and retreated tens of miles in a hurry.Later, the mausoleum guard officials of Zhaoling reported to the court that on the day of the Tongguan battle, all the six horses in front of Zhaoling were dripping with sweat.People have said that the brave and magical Yellow Banner Army was composed of the six steeds of Zhaoling Mausoleum and the stone men and stone horses in front of the tomb.

Among the "Six Horses of Zhaoling", "Saluzi" and "Fist Hairy" are the most outstanding among the Six Horses of Zhaoling. The background and story of their birth are the most peculiar. They have evolved into myths that have been widely circulated for thousands of years. They have important history and Its artistic value is a precious and rare national treasure.

According to the "New Book of Tang Qiu Xinggong Biography", in 621 AD, the Tang army and Wang Shichong's army fought decisively in Luoyang. Li Shimin's courtier, Qiu Xinggong, was brave and good at riding and shooting. Once, he rode Sa Luzi to personally test the enemy's reality, and rushed out of the position with dozens of horses to confront the enemy. All the horses in the entourage were scattered, and only Qiu Xinggong followed.The young and energetic Li Shimin was able to kill, but lost contact with the rear and was surrounded by the enemy.Suddenly, Wang Shichong chased after him, and the arrow shot "Sa Luzi" in the chest. At a critical juncture, fortunately Qiu Xinggong came to rescue him.Then, Qiu Xinggong immediately jumped off his horse, drew an arrow for the royal cavalry Sa Luzi, and gave up his mount to Li Shimin, then charged on foot with a saber, beheaded several people, and came back suddenly.For this reason, Tang Taizong specially engraved his heroic image on Zhaoling.

Qiu Xinggong has tendrils, looks handsome and mighty, wears a war robe, a pocket on his head, a knife and a quiver on his waist, and makes a posture of bowing his head to draw an arrow for a horse, recreating the scene at that time.

Taizong's praise to Sa Luzi is: "Zi Yan leaps, bone-thumping and steed, Qi Yu Sanchuan, majestic eight formations".

"Fist hair 騧" is a black-mouthed yellow horse with swirling hair. It hits six arrows in the front and three arrows in the back. It was ridden by Li Shimin when he pacified Liu Heitai (tà).

Liu Heikai was originally Li Mi's general in Wagangzhai at the end of the Sui Dynasty. After Dou Jiande's failure, he occupied the Jiuzhou County of Xia State, colluded with the Turks, and claimed to be the King of Handong. He was also defeated by Li Shimin.

In 622 A.D., Li Shimin led the Tang army to fight Liu Heita in what is now Quzhou, Hebei.When Liu Jun's main force was crossing the river, Tang Jun broke the dam from the upper reaches, took the opportunity to hide and kill, and won the victory.On the stone inscription, there are nine arrows in the body of the fist hair, which shows the fierceness of this battle.

Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty praised it: "The moon essence presses the bridle, the heavenly horse crosses the sky, the arrow carries the arrow, and the atmosphere is clear."

After this war, the Tang Dynasty's great cause of unifying China was declared complete.

Today, if it stands in front of Zhaoling Mausoleum again, we can only see the Six Horses that have been trimmed and copied.It turned out that in 1914, the American cultural invaders colluded with the Shaanxi warlords, smashed all the "Six Horses", and stole the "Sa Lu Zi" and "Fist Hair", which are now displayed in the Museum of Philadelphia University in the United States.After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the remaining four horses were restored, and the stolen two horses were also copied, which is the six horses of Zhaoling that we see today.

In this way, for more than 1914 years from May 5 to the present, the "two steeds" have been lost overseas, and the six national treasures have been separated by heaven.Compared with Sijun who stayed in Xi'an, Erjun seems to have more traces of years and times - the vertical and horizontal cracks left on the two huge stone reliefs are left by chiseling the stone carvings for the convenience of transportation .The lifelike expressions of the horses and characters, as well as the amazing craftsmanship that is so detailed that the hair on the horse's legs are clearly visible, make it hard to believe that it was done by craftsmen 90 years ago.The shocking cracks and irreparable incompleteness on the stone carvings show people the crimes of war and plunder 500 years ago.

In the other four horses, namely "Telepiu", "Qingzhui", "White Hoofed Crow", and "Shifachi", the antique dealers colluded with American businessmen to break them into pieces in an attempt to pack them into boxes and sell them abroad, and they were later sold by patriotic people. Found recovered.During the archaeological excavation and clearing of the northern Simamen architectural site in Zhaoling from August to December in 2002, archaeologists accidentally discovered the fragments of the hind leg joint relief of "Qing Zou" among the six horses and the fragments of the "Telebiu" The remnants of the hoof and wrist relief make up for the partial incompleteness of these two rare treasures.At the same time, the original location of the six horses was determined and the base of the six horses was discovered.

After the founding of New China in 1949, four of the six steeds of Zhaoling Mausoleum were handed over to the Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum in Shaanxi Province for permanent collection.After going through hardships, the "Four Horses" broke their horseshoes during the tossing and smuggling, causing irreparable losses forever. The "Four Horses" displayed in the Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum, while showing people the superb carving art of China, also brought The scars of history tell the world the sufferings they have suffered and the pain of being separated from each other.

In history, the Zhaoling Mausoleum has also been invaded repeatedly. Did the other peerless treasures in the underground palace also suffer the same bad luck as the Six Horses of the Zhaoling Mausoleum?This mausoleum of the emperor, which was built with painstaking efforts and the efforts of a country, can still leave many imprints of the past for future generations to admire and remember?Perhaps the answer to all this can only be revealed on the day when Zhaoling is officially excavated.

Wen Tao Steals the Eighteen Tombs

The Tang Dynasty is known as the most prosperous era in ancient China. Regardless of politics, economy, culture, and art, the Tang Dynasty dominates.The mainstream view of scholars is that the heyday of Chinese feudal society was in the Tang Dynasty founded by Li Yuan, and the legacy of the Tang Dynasty still exists today.In many places and countries around the world, the place where Chinese people live together is called "Chinatown"; Chinese ancient clothing is "Tang suit" in the eyes of foreigners, and it is still worn by Chinese people today, and it appears in important places as "national costume". international diplomatic occasions.

(End of this chapter)